As SCCA president, Dahnert oversaw the 49th edition of the Runoffs, held for the fourth straight year at Road America, the four-mile road course in central Wisconsin that many consider to be the country's best. Dahnert walked frequently through the huge, spread-out paddock, talking to members, fielding questions, absorbing complaints: He listens more than he talks. As he begins his fifth year on the job, Dahnert, arguably the most unlikely president the SCCA has had since its formation in 1944, has heard a lot.

Dahnert got the job after then-president Jim Julow, formerly Chrysler's group vice president for motorsports, announced that he was leaving in late 2008. The SCCA launched a major talent search.

Dahnert was not even on the radar. A mild-mannered CPA who joined the SCCA's financial department in 2004, Dahnert had never raced and knew as much about motorsports as he did about how to build a telephone on his previous job working in Sprint's financial department. Promoting Dahnert looked as though no overtly qualified motorsports executive wanted the job, and elevating him at least meant the SCCA didn't have to pay moving expenses to its headquarters in Topeka, Kan.—a place that was probably not a key attraction to motorsports executives. Julow, in fact, commuted to Topeka from Detroit.

But Dahnert was a wise choice. Despite the grim economy, the CPA running the SCCA has made sure the group is on firm financial footing, with money in the bank.

Jeff Dahnert is in his fifth year as president of the SCCA. Photo by Rupert Berrington

The SCCA is a not-for-profit organization, Dahnert said, “but we have to make money to stay in business. Overall, we did very well this year. We made a conscious decision to do some investment spending, and we'll probably end up in the red this year, but that is by design. We've been very smart on the business side; we built up reserves and we have money to spend. We came through the recession well, made money every year and we're in a position where we can do some things.”

And some things need to be done. This year, the Runoffs entries totaled a little more than 500, about the same as last year, but about 100 cars short of the first year at Road America. Also down, Dahnert said, was the number of workers: the volunteers who come to Road America to actually stage the race.

One of the things Dahnert has learned is that he needs to keep the Runoffs moving—no more five-year contracts at the same facility.

“I think there is a shorter life cycle to a venue than there was in the past,” he said. “You look at the last two tracks”—Road America for five years and Heartland Park in Topeka the three years before that—“and there's a big spike in entries the first year, then a little fade, then a bigger fade. People want to go to new tracks.”

Dahnert said that a West Coast swing for the Runoffs will happen in the next few years, but probably not in 2014. The SCCA is also looking at becoming its own Runoffs promoter, simply renting a track for a week or so rather than contracting with the venue.

“There are a lot of things on the table,” Dahnert said. This particular board of directors—all elected SCCA members—“are more open to trying new things than they have been in the past.”

One of those new things began this year—with a shortened schedule. Qualifying began early Thursday, then there were races until late afternoon, then more qualifying. The 24 races were still 13 laps or 40 minutes long, but everything else was compressed. Competitors who used to have to dedicate a full week to the event—and away from their jobs—could conceivably spend as little as three days on site.

Some racers liked it, but others found it tense, as some classes had two qualifying sessions in one day. If you broke or crashed in the first session, it was a scramble to repair your car in time for the second session.

Action from SCCA Runoffs at Elkhart Lake. Photo by Rupert Berrington

Another issue: Did it help attendance?

“It's too early to tell,” Dahnert said. “There are so many factors, like the economy and high gas prices, that we can't really make an apples-to-apples comparison to where we can say with confidence that, yes, there are more racers here because of the shortened schedule than there would be otherwise.”

There may be more help on the way for cash-strapped racers. While there is no purse for winning, there is contingency money from manufacturers and parts suppliers, “which makes racing more affordable,” Dahnert said. Mazda leads the manufacturers supporting Runoffs; more may be coming: “I've had three manufacturers contact me this week alone, asking about how they can become involved.”

Regardless, the next two years should see a big boost in attendance. In 2013, it will be the 50th anniversary of the Runoffs, and Dahnert and his staff are already working hard to bring back past winners and their cars to the final year at Road America. Invites will go out to past SCCA champions and big names such as Boris Said, Scott Sharp, Bobby Rahal, Jimmy Vasser, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Skip Barber, Bob Tullius and Randy Pobst. Some of the better-known past champions are no longer alive, but there would be huge interest in their cars, such as Mark Donohue's 1961 championship-winning Elva Courier, Donna Mae Mims' pink 1963 championship-winning Bugeye Sprite or Paul Newman's 1986 GT1-winning Nissan 300ZX.

In 2014, the Runoffs will move, and Dahnert will be looking for that big first-year spike in entries. The decision on the venue won't be made until next year.

Meanwhile, the SCCA president will continue to push for changes inside the organization—streamlining the licensing process and easing other requirements, anything to get more members on-track.

“Some people will probably want to shoot me for saying this,” Dahnert said, “but I'd rather have 25,000 members who go to the track regularly and participate than 50,000 who never really do anything.”